What is wrong with this picture? Morsi, Egyptian Muslims Brotherhood president, not only he freed from prison the most dangerous terrorists including the brother of Al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda leader, and the killers of Sadat, he met with them at the presidential palace.

"Sadat knew the Brothers were bad news, but -- much like today's geopolitical big thinkers -- he hubristically believed he could control the damage, betting that the Muslims Brotherhood would be more a thorn in the side of the jilted Nasserite Communists than a nuisance for the successor regime. Brotherhood eventually murdered Sadat in a 1981 coup attempt -- in accordance with a fatwa issued by Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman. Does US think what Anwar Sadat thought: Hey, we can work with these guys" Andrew C. McCarthy

Morsi also called upon United States to release a well-known terrorist, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman who is serving life in prison for plotting a series of bombings and assassinations and his role in planning the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City.

What, it might be wondered, will President Obama say about all this when he meets Morsi in March? Will United States continue sending American taxpayers money to regime that clearly support terrorism.

You gotta wonder why they use such a powerful rifle from such a short distance away. A competent rifleman could make that shot over open sights using a smaller caliber modern rifle.

Reading dozens of seized weapons reports in Mexico over the years, the only dedicated rifle that could be used as a sniper weapon that is available to both the cartels and Mexico's military is the Barrett 0.50 caliber rifle. Mexican road patrols in the south and central regions mount Barretts on their patrol vehicles.

Los Zetas are known to use Barretts and have used them in the shootouts in Reynosa against their Gulf Cartel enemies during 2010 and 2011, as well as the 2010 intergang firefight in Tubutama in Sonora, which killed 24.

This is the first report I have seen of a dedicated hit using the Barrett. Cartels usually prefer drive by shootings to get Mexican police top dawgs.

Police found one spent cartridge casing and a tripod mount about 60 meters away. Presumably only one shot was fired.

#8
At 60 meters a .50 cal shot would make a very messy scene that would not be easily washed away and long remembered. Los Zetas dont just kill their enemies, they cut their head and hands off, disembowl them and other ugly events to show they dont play games. To shoot someone with a AR15 would leave a hole, some flesh and blood. Shooting a guy with a .50 at that range will leave a giant mess, message to the world sent.

#3
Hey, 49 Pan. It is typical self-absorbed Hollywood. Remember this: the Academy Awards is just a trade show. Full of persona and glitter, like the Hollywood stars who feed off it. Bunch of self absorbed people with their pet projects and charities. The best thing to do with them is to not attend their movies. Do not feed the beast, and do not get upset over a bunch of narcissists. Live a good life and throw no money their way.

[Dawn] IT is an indication of the state of the nation today that when a politician names the perpetrators of a series of brutal attacks -- perpetrators who have already named themselves -- it is hailed as an impressive move. Imran Khan... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... has at long last directly spoken out against a bad turban organization. But the fact that his remarks stood out from those of other politicians yesterday reflects one of the main reasons why we are where we are today: the cowardice of our civilian leaders. There is no particular bravery or leadership in vaguely condemning sectarian attacks or in saying terrorism is a bad thing; that is the least politicians can possibly get away with in Pakistain today. But how often do our parliamentarians and other political figures -- particularly the leaders of religious parties -- name and shame those responsible, whether it is the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ..., the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain or any other bad turban organization? Instead, they get together at multiparty conferences and even at this point prioritise talking to beturbanned goons without making any mention of military action, failing to appreciate two things: that at this point talks will probably not solve the problem, and that in the democratic system they claim to value, any military operation will be a non-starter without their support.

Perhaps they should learn a thing or two from the community leaders, both Shia and Sunni, who have courageously condemned the violence and, without pitting one community against the other, named those carrying it out. The Hazaras have been particularly impressive in their restraint, arguing that the country's Shias and Sunnis are not at war and that the problem lies with the ideology of the particular bad turban groups behind the attacks. So far their level-headedness has helped unite the country rather than exacerbate its divisions, but if leaders at the national level do nothing to look beyond political and other fears, the conflict could also spread beyond Bloody Karachi...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...'>Bloody Karachi and Quetta to several other parts of the country.

Thankfully, the people of Pakistain haven't given up yet. The bloodshed of the last several years means they have become accustomed -- perhaps desensitised -- to most of the violence that takes place. But the collective outrage they expressed on Monday across the country and across sects and religions means they can recognise when things have gone too far. And their speaking out has achieved some changes, however insufficient, including the imposition of governor's rule last month, the prime minister's call for targeted operations in Quetta and the removals and transfers of some senior coppers. Their protests, and especially the bravery of Hazaras and others protesting in dangerous areas, have put our politicians to shame.

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.